Independent Vaccine Safety Board

Background: The
National Immunization Program of the Centers for DiseaseControl and Prevention is responsible for
controlling infectiousdiseases through
vaccination, but the program also plays a key
role in postlicensure vaccine safety assessment. The
time hascome to separate postlicensure
vaccine safety assessment fromvaccine risk
management as recommended by the National ResearchCouncil of the National Academy of Sciences.

The National Transportation
Safety Board offers a useful modelfor
developing an independent National Vaccine Safety Boardthat would have the authority to leverage
resources and expertiseof various government
agencies, academia, and industry to oversee
postlicensure vaccine safety investigations. Such a
board wouldhave been useful in recent
vaccine safety concerns, and itsindependence
from government programs would ensure optimal vaccinesafety and enhance public confidence in vaccines.

Additional information is
available: Questions and Answers about Enhancing
Public Confidence in Vaccines through Independent
Oversight of Post-licensure Vaccine Safety. April
2004. [pdf - 111KB]

Public Comment
Sought on CDC's Vaccine Safety:
In consultation with outside stakeholders, the CDC has
undertaken a review of vaccine safety activities at CDC.
As part of this effort, the CDC is seeking public
comments regarding the current state of the agency's
vaccine safety program and to identify ways in which
excellence in vaccine safety monitoring, research and
communication can be maximized and sustained in the
future.
MMWR 2004:53(31);720.